The slender structure is prone to be affected by horizontal force; therefore, the seismic performance needs to be considered carefully. Meanwhile, due to the low cost and good performance on the seismic resistance of the Tuned liquid dampers (TLDs) system, it has been widely used for vibration control. Regarding the abovementioned background, in this study, we conduct the experiment to investigate the seismic performance of the slender structure with the integral water tank, and two designed parameters (the placement location and the water level of the water tank) are studied. The experimental phenomenon and the structural accelerations are recorded to be analyzed further and discussed, then a useful design guide for an integral water tank is summarized. Finally, some practical and helpful advice and conclusions are put forward for the design of the water tank that is used for the purpose of seismic resistance in the slender structure. Our research can fill the blank in the research on the integral water tank of TLDs system, which also has good potential to achieve the enhancement of slender structure seismic performance.

Recently, the light-type pier can be easily observed in urban elevated roads and bridge structures. This type of pier is broadly used in the field of structural engineering. The Thin-Walled Steel-Reinforced Concrete Pier (TSRCP), as the typical pier of the light-type piers, shows a better mechanical performance than the conventional reinforced concrete pier due to the enhancement of the H-shape steel. In terms of the TSRCP, the designed parameters, including the depth–width ratio (DWR) and axial compression ratio (ACR), have been determined in this study as the concerned variables. Then, a low cyclic loading experiment is conducted based on the three test specimens to investigate the effects of the concerned variables on the failure of the specimens. Meanwhile, some comparative studies are carried out based on the failure processes and modes, critical loading values (cracking, yielding and ultimate state), strain and ductility. The obtained experimental results demonstrate that all specimens illustrate a bending failure mode under the vertical and horizontal low cyclic loadings. Furthermore, for the concerned variables, the increasing DWR will reduce the ultimate bearing capacity of the TSRCP but enhance the plastic deformation. For the ACR, the decrease positively affects the cracking load, further improving the ultimate bearing capacity; however, the deformation capacity will be restrained. Finally, Abaqus is adopted to model the failure processes of three specimens; the comparative study has been conducted based on the simulated and experimental results. After that, the effects of the concerned variables on the failure performances are discussed. Meanwhile, the horizontal ultimate bearing capacity calculated equation for the TSRCP was deduced and validated based on the experimental and simulated data; the verification proves that the proposed equation can obtain a good result. In this study, the complex calculated process of the original equation can be simplified, which not only provides a convenient and useful way to design and manufacture this type of component but can serve as a guideline for validating the practical engineering applications.

Axial compression tests were conducted on short rhombic tubes of different cross-sectional shapes. The deformation modes of the rhombic short tubes were obtained. To induce a finite element model with deformation modes consistent with the actual working conditions, buckling modes are introduced into the model as the initial imperfections of the structure. However, the buckling modes resulting from finite element buckling analyses often do not meet the needs of actual crushing modes. A coefficient superposition method of solution is proposed to derive modal characteristics consistent with the actual deformation modes by linear superposition of the buckling modes. Through the study of three aspects of theory, test, and simulation, and the comparison and verification of this method with the simulation results of related literature, the results show that the indexes derived from this method are closer to the actual circumstances and are more expandable, which provides a reference for the project.

The corner element is the most basic constitutive element of multi-cellular thin-walled structures; however, scenarios for using relevant theories are limited. To improve this situation, this research investigated the effect of boundary conditions on the compression performance of corner elements with different angles. The deformation laws of corner elements were also explored. The approach was based on experiments and the finite element method. The result shows the outwardly extending plates on both sides yield first, the central twisted wire region then destabilizes and exits the working state, and the plate enters the post-buckling phase. A more relaxed boundary and larger angle can make it easier for the corner elements to trigger the symmetric deformation mode. Moreover, a mechanical model for simplified computation is proposed to predict the initial peak crushing force. The research can provide a reference for studying the compression performance of energy-absorbing elements in engineering.